WASHINGTON – Eric Holder won Senate confirmation Monday as the nation's first African-American attorney general, after supporters from both parties touted his dream resume and easily overcame Republican concerns over his commitment to fight terrorism and his unwillingness to back the right to keep and bear arms.

The vote was 75-21, with all the opposition coming from Republicans.

Holder's chief supporter, Sen. Patrick Leahy, said the confirmation was a fulfillment of civil rights leader Martin Luther King's dream that everyone would be judged by the content of their character.

"Come on the right side of history," said Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Holder becomes the only black in the Obama administration in what has traditionally been known as the president's Cabinet. Three other African-Americans have been chosen for top administration positions that hold the same rank.

Holder was a federal prosecutor, judge and the No. 2 Justice Department official in the Clinton administration. Even his critics agreed that Holder was well-qualified, but they questioned his positions and independence.

The debate turned partisan in its first moments, when Leahy, expressed anger that a few Republicans demanded a pledge from Holder that he wouldn't prosecute intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations.

Leahy singled out Texas Republican John Cornyn as one who wanted to "turn a blind eye to possible lawbreaking before investigating whether it occurred."

"No one should be seeking to trade a vote for such a pledge," Leahy said.

When Cornyn rose to announce his vote against Holder, he did not make such a demand. However, he accused the nominee of changing his once-supportive position — on the need to detain terrorism suspects without all the rights of the Geneva Convention — to one of harshly criticizing Bush administration's counterterrorism policies.

"His contrasting positions from 2002 to 2008 make me wonder if this is the same person," Cornyn said. "It makes me wonder what he truly believes."

Cornyn and Sen. Tom Coburn said Holder was hostile to the right of individuals to own guns, despite a Supreme Court ruling last June affirming the right to have weapons for self-defense in the home.

Holder said at his confirmation hearings: "I understand that the Supreme Court has spoken." But he added that some restrictions on guns could still be legal.

Holder's confirmation will trigger reviews — and changes — to the most controversial Bush administration policies, from interrogation tactics to terrorism trials and warrantless surveillance.

Those are some of the known issues. Even Holder doesn't know what he'll find when he looks at secret memos in the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel.

Holder also will have to rehabilitate a department that under President George W. Bush was criticized for injecting politics in hiring career officials and firings of U.S. attorneys. He'll have to decide whether to prosecute Justice Department officials who may have violated the law in some of those policies and tactics.

Holder also could reverse Bush's orders to former aides not to testify before Congress on their private discussions on the U.S. attorney firings.

To the satisfaction of Democrats and consternation of some Republicans, Holder told his confirmation hearing, "Waterboarding is torture." The statement about an interrogation technique that simulates drowning was an important signal of a policy change from Bush's view that the tactic was legal and not torture.

Obama issued an executive order to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year. He also created a special task force, co-chaired by the attorney general and the secretary of defense, to review detainee policy going forward. The group will consider policy options for apprehension, detention, trial, transfer or release of detainees and report to the president within 180 days.

One of Holder's most intriguing missions will be to review the Office of Legal Counsel, whose lawyers justified the use of controversial interrogation tactics and viewed themselves as attorneys for the White House.

The Justice Department's inspector general, in a report on the removal of nine U.S. attorneys, said the legal counsel's office — in effect — thumbed its nose at department internal investigators and refused to provide a crucial document. The office stated the White House counsel's office directed it not to provide the information.

Holder also said he would review why career prosecutors in Washington decided not to prosecute the former head of the department's Civil Rights Division.

An inspector general's report last month found that Bradley Schlozman, the former head of the division, misled lawmakers about whether he politicized hiring decisions.

The three former top aides to Bush — Karl Rove, Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten — have declined to testify about the U.S. attorney firings on orders from Bush while he still was in office. Rove and Miers at the time were former aides, raising the question of whether White House aides no longer in government could be compelled to testify.

If Obama reverses Bush's policy, it would create a new legal issue: whether a former president's order against testifying would still be valid.

Holder also will likely review civil liberties issues including warrantless surveillance, and he has said he will re-examine a ruling by former Attorney General Michael Mukasey that immigrants facing deportation do not have a right to government-provided lawyers.

Just the guy we want to handle the terrorists in Gitmo. I do believe he has an established record of getting pardons for convicted terrorists.

Another winner picked by Obama. At least he appears to pay his taxes. Although he was instrumental in getting one of the biggest tax cheats of all time pardoned. Maybe he can help Daschle with his issues.

Keep buying those guns in a fit of paranoia...it helps stimulate the economy.

Paranoia? You think anyone ever thought alcohol would ever be banned? in a 5-4 vote Holder lost his DC case with a change in the court you damn right it can happen. In the meantime while they have not been able to ban guns they have put such tight restriction on ammo that it is becoming harder to buy

Paranoia? You think anyone ever thought alcohol would ever be banned? in a 5-4 vote Holder lost his DC case with a change in the court you damn right it can happen. In the meantime while they have not been able to ban guns they have put such tight restriction on ammo that it is becoming harder to buy

Keep on buying baby instead of complaining.

Stimulate the economy or quit your whining.

Be a patriot and go out and buy them weapons and pay taxes on them to show that extra bit of patriotism.

Be a patriot and go out and buy them weapons and pay taxes on them to show that extra bit of patriotism.

I don't need to I have a few guns and not in the market to buy any. Holder has a record of going after the 2nd admendment you may not think so because you seem to think well that can't change, it can change in the blink of an eye with a different court who sees eye to eye with those with very constrictive views on the 2nd admendment. There are many things that have changed over the years that people did not think would happen.

I don't need to I have a few guns and not in the market to buy any. Holder has a record of going after the 2nd admendment you may not think so because you seem to think well that can't change, it can change in the blink of an eye with a different court who sees eye to eye with those with very constrictive views on the 2nd admendment. There are many things that have changed over the years that people did not think would happen.

Well you better go buy some more because it seems that you believe it is just a matter of time now and they will be coming to take away the guns you already have. :laugh2:

Well you better go buy some more because it seems that you believe it is just a matter of time now and they will be coming to take away the guns you already have. :laugh2:

As I said no thought alcohol would ever be banned and it was and not many thought abortion would ever sky rocket into the millions and it has. A lot of things change in this world unless people are willing to stand up against it. Will Holder push for strict gun laws or even push for banning of individual rights? He has in recent times I doubt his strong views have changed.

As I said no thought alcohol would ever be banned and it was and not many thought abortion would ever sky rocket into the millions and it has. A lot of things change in this world unless people are willing to stand up against it. Will Holder push for strict gun laws or even push for banning of individual rights? He has in recent times I doubt his strong views have changed.

You better get the Nuge on the phone and I mean right NOW. Good lord they are right outside your house and are going to take your guns any minute now.

You better get the Nuge on the phone and I mean right NOW. Good lord they are right outside your house and are going to take your guns any minute now.

What will we do?!?!?!

Oh Noes does this mean I will not be able to get my vulcan now?!

Sorry I thought you would have something intelligent to say I guess smart ars remarks is all you got today. Look at Holder record and his views and the postion he has now been given. You want to act like oh they can't do that well yes they can either that or you really don't care if they do or not

Sorry I thought you would have something intelligent to say I guess smart ars remarks is all you got today. Look at Holder record and his views and the postion he has now been given. You want to act like oh they can't do that well yes they can either that or you really don't care if they do or not

Good and Bad news.

Bad news is I just got a call from the wife and apparently I was mistaken and you were right.

It seems the ATF raided my home and took all of my guns. All of my stinking water guns.

Bad news, or good news to some in here, is that they will now use the weapons I paid for in order to do a different version of torture based on the water boarding ideas on people.

I just know this...if they try to take my space ghost spank ray away from me...they are in a world of hurt cause all hell will break loose with this hillbilly.

You don't think they will try and take my spank ray away do you?

2 changes in the Supreme Court they can do whatever they want and there is nothing you can do or say about it. 5-4 vote last time I checked is a small margin of victory and one that can change with the stroke of a pen.